Arkansas Aerospace Industry Takes Flight at Paris Air Show

Arkansas took to the skies this summer and landed in France for the 2023 Paris Air Show.

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission participated in the 54th edition of the Paris Air Show, which was held from June 19 to 25, 2023, at the Le Bourget Parc des Expositions in Paris.

The International Paris Air Show, launched in 1909, is the largest aerospace event in the world. In the most recent show in 2019, there were 2,453 exhibiting companies from 49 countries and 304 official delegations from 98 countries. There were 139,840 trade visitors, with 40 percent of these visitors coming from outside of France.

Exhibiting companies ranged from major aerospace corporations to innovative startups. The list of companies that had a presence at the Paris Air Show included Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Eaton SAS, GE Aerospace, L&P Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Safran, and many more.

The first four days of the event were reserved for trade visitors, while three days were open to the public.

During the event, Team Arkansas was on the ground, highlighting the advantages of doing business in their state. Team Arkansas was a collaboration between public and private partners, featuring industry executives, economic development partners, and state officials, including Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Team Arkansas included representatives from AirReady MRO, Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas, Aviation Repair Technologies, Clinton National Airport, Blue Gold by Modern Chemical, Galley Support Innovations, Little Rock Regional Chamber, Mundo-Tech, ORC Products, and World Trade Center Arkansas. While in Paris, Team Arkansas touted the strength of The Natural State’s aerospace and defense industry. Representatives held meetings with industry executives and manned the Team Arkansas booth, which highlighted key stats about Arkansas’ aerospace sector.

A key stat about the aerospace industry is that aerospace and aviation products are significant exports in Arkansas. In 2022, the aerospace/aviation category was Arkansas’ top export, and in 2020, aerospace and defense exports made up approximately 20 percent, or more than $1 billion in goods, of the state’s total exports.

Arkansas has a strong and experienced workforce in the aerospace and defense sector. There are 8,866 employees in the aerospace and defense manufacturing sector in Arkansas.

The talent pipeline is supported by universities and colleges throughout the state that provide degrees and certificates. Across Arkansas, there are 15 four-year universities and 22 two-year colleges that provide programs and classes in a variety of disciplines related to aerospace and defense, including general aviation maintenance, data management, engineering, cybersecurity, aviation instrument rating, precision production, and aviation airframe and powerplant maintenance.

To learn more about the aerospace and defense industry in Arkansas, download our exclusive Aerospace and Defense Industry Report.